Best Online Master's in Education Programs in Idaho (2027)

This list covers fully online master's programs at universities located in Idaho, one per school.

The 4 Online Master's in Education Programs in Idaho

The 4 programs below are at schools in Idaho, scored at the in-state price and listed one per school.

1. 1

   Boise State University

   Master of Educational Technology

   Boise, Idaho

   74.0

   • Public
   • No license involved
   • Educational/Instructional Technology

   Degrees awarded

   27 a year

   Yearly cost

   $10,486

   In-state rate

   $10,486, 2023-24

   Out-of-state rate

   $28,605

   • Degrees awarded percentile 66 / 100
   • Yearly cost percentile 82 / 100

   Boise State University, in Boise, gives Idaho educators a Master of Educational Technology with no GRE requirement and a portfolio as its culminating experience. Students can add optional graduate certificates in Games & Simulations, Online Teaching, Instructional Technology Coaching, Technology Integration, Assistive Technology, or Designing Accessible Online Education. Graduates who want to continue can use the degree as preparation for Boise State's Ed.D. in Educational Technology.

   It does not lead to a license, so it sits alongside the Initial Certificate issued by the Idaho State Department of Education and adds technology expertise to an educator's work. The in-state rate is $10,486 a year for 2023-24, and out-of-state students pay $28,605. Boise State awarded 27 master's degrees in the latest federal count, and the program page describes each certificate.

2. 2

   University of Idaho

   Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership (M.S.)

   Moscow, Idaho

   73.7

   • Public
   • No license involved
   • Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching

   Degrees awarded

   27 a year

   Yearly cost

   $10,548

   In-state rate

   $10,548, 2023-24

   Out-of-state rate

   $29,784

   • Degrees awarded percentile 66 / 100
   • Yearly cost percentile 82 / 100

   Idaho residents pay $10,548 a year for 2023-24 to study at the University of Idaho, and students from other states pay $29,784. The Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership (M.S.) is a master of science taught out of Moscow, with a choice between writing a thesis and skipping one.

   Candidates steer toward human resource development, toward organizational learning, or toward adult literacy education. New students can begin in the fall, in the spring, or over the summer, and the design assumes students hold jobs while studying. Because no license comes with it, K-12 certification still runs through the Idaho State Department of Education. The university awarded 27 master's degrees in the latest federal count.

3. 3

   Northwest Nazarene University

   Master of Education in Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation

   Nampa, Idaho

   54.3

   • Private nonprofit
   • Curriculum and Instruction

   Degrees awarded

   11 a year

   Yearly cost

   $11,408

   In-state rate

   $11,408, 2023-24

   • Degrees awarded percentile 32 / 100
   • Yearly cost percentile 77 / 100

   Nampa is home to Northwest Nazarene University, a private nonprofit school whose online Master of Education in Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation enrolls cohorts of 15 to 20 students. Courses begin every 8 weeks, and the 33 credits can be finished in about 18 months. Work centers on Curriculum Design, Instructional Coaching and Innovation, and graduates can continue into Ed.S., Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs.

   The core degree is non-licensure. Certified Idaho teachers with 3 or more years of experience can add the Teacher Leader Instructional Specialist endorsement for 4 additional credits, and the provider is CAEP accredited. The school charges $11,408 a year for 2023-24, the same for Idaho residents and for students from elsewhere. Northwest Nazarene awarded 11 master's degrees in the latest federal count.

4. 4

   Idaho State University

   Master of Education in Special Education

   Pocatello, Idaho

   48.2

   • Public
   • Leads to a license
   • Special Education and Teaching, General

   Degrees awarded

   8 a year

   Yearly cost

   $11,268

   In-state rate

   $11,268, 2023-24

   Out-of-state rate

   $30,152

   • Degrees awarded percentile 19 / 100
   • Yearly cost percentile 77 / 100

   Pocatello's Idaho State University delivers its online Master of Education in Special Education with an emphasis on behavior management and evidence-based classroom instruction. It comes in two forms, with and without teacher certification preparation. The certification route is for K-12 teachers who want to become special education teachers with initial certification, and it requires 42 credits including student teaching and a portfolio.

   In Idaho, certification runs through the Idaho State Department of Education, which issues the Initial Certificate, and the state relies on the Praxis Series for its exams. Tuition for 2023-24 is $11,268 a year for Idaho residents and $30,152 for students from other states. Federal data for the latest year show 8 master's degrees awarded at Idaho State.

Which Online Master's Programs in Idaho Lead to a License?

4 ranked programs at schools in Idaho lead to a license, certificate or endorsement, scored the same way as the list above, one program per school. The Idaho teacher licensure guide covers what the state asks for beyond the degree.

What Does an Online Master's in Education Cost in Idaho?

An online master's in education at a school in Idaho costs a resident from $10,486 to $11,408 a year in graduate tuition and fees across these 4 programs, with a median of $10,908, for 2023-24. These are full-time yearly charges at the in-state rate, and many universities bill online students per credit instead, so the program's own figure may differ.

Which Idaho Universities Offer the Best Online Master's in Education?

The Idaho universities that offer the best online master's in education split between technology, adult learning, curriculum and special education. Boise State's Master of Educational Technology leads the list. The University of Idaho's adult, organizational learning and leadership degree serves training and workforce roles as well as teaching, which gives it the widest range of workplaces on the list.

Northwest Nazarene University, the private nonprofit option, offers a Master of Education in Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation for classroom teachers. Idaho State University offers the Master of Education in Special Education and is the school on the list whose program leads to a certificate. Three of the four are public universities.

How Does Idaho Certify Graduates of an Idaho Online Master's in Education?

Idaho certifies graduates of an Idaho online master's in education through the Initial Certificate, which rests on a recommendation from the Idaho college of education that ran the program. That is an advantage for a resident at Idaho State, because the recommending institution is the one in your home state.

Graduates of programs elsewhere take a different door, the Certificate for Out-of-State Applicants, which depends on CAEP or AAQEP accreditation and a two-year window. An Idaho school sidesteps that. Praxis exams still apply, and our Idaho licensure guide lays out the State Department of Education's other conditions. The educational technology, adult learning and curriculum degrees add expertise, not a first teaching certificate.

What Do Idaho Educators Need Beyond a Master's in Education?

Idaho educators need more than a master's in education when the job carries its own certificate. The department's pupil service staff certificates cover roles such as school counselors, with practicum hours and an approved program on top of the degree.

For classroom specialties, the state expects a content assessment approved by the State Board of Education, and the department's apply page explains how an alternative test such as the ABCTE changes that. A teacher who already holds a certificate can use a degree from Boise State or Northwest Nazarene to deepen practice, and add endorsements through separate coursework. Ask any program which endorsement it prepares you for before you pay a deposit.

What Does Studying Online at an Idaho University Mean for Residents?

Studying online at an Idaho university means in-state tuition and coursework you can do from a small town as easily as from Boise. Field experiences and practicum hours normally happen in your own school or district, so ask each program how it approves a site and a supervisor near you.

Idaho belongs to NC-SARA, which covers a school's authority to enroll students across state lines, yet SARA does not address professional licensing board approval. If you move out of Idaho, the receiving state decides how your degree counts. The federal disclosure rule at 34 CFR 668.43 requires a school advertising licensure preparation to tell you where it qualifies, which is worth requesting in writing.

Tuition and degree counts come from federal records each college reports about itself.